Patullo survives another week as after passing game thrives vs. Vikings

Philadelphia’s offensive explosion Sunday afternoon in Minnesota very well might have saved Kevin Patullo’s job.

Coming off of back-to-back unexpected losses with the offense in complete shambles, it looked as if Sunday’s game could be one of the final tests for Kevin Patullo as Philly’s playcaller.

Jalen Hurts changed that narrative overnight.

Hurts threw for 326 yards on an incredibly efficient 83% completion percentage, finding the endzone 3 times. There have been questions about the validity of the passing game, but all those questions went away after Sunday. He achieved a perfect passing rating of 158.3, the 3rd ever perfect passing rating in Eagles history.

A.J. Brown has been the topic of discussion for weeks now about his happiness in Philadelphia, mainly due to his lack of targets and production. If Brown was unhappy before, he is definitely in a much better place now after his 121 yard, 2 touchdown performance. Brown was the first person to score in Minnesota, with his 37 yard touchdown in the first quarter. His late game score put the icing on the cake and sealed a victory for the Eagles.

DeVonta Smith, on the other hand, was even more effective. Smith had 9 receptions, with an average of just about 20 yards per reception. His 183 yards in the air 79 yard touchdown were the highlights of the game.

However, even with all these positives, the run game was absolutely abysmal. Saquon Barkley only ran for 44 yards in 18 carries. Patullo needs to figure out the ground game in order to be successful down the stretch.

Jalyx Hunt‘s pick-6 gave the Eagles a huge momentum boost and those additional 7 points were the difference maker in this one. Without those points, Philadelphia very well may have lost this game. The passing game cannot carry Philly to victory every week, so Patullo needs to learn how to use Barkley.

Barkley had one of the greatest seasons in NFL history last year, but now he’s being treated like he’s Miles Sanders or Boston Scott.

Patullo needs to find an equilibrium between using his star studded receivers and resorting to the reigning Offensive Player of the Year.

While the ground game hasn’t been going well in Philly this year, not all the blame can go on Patullo or Barkley. The offensive line has been rather ugly, which is uncharacteristic for an Eagles team.

On the other side of the ball, the defense has been doing its part for the most part. There have been some issues with the secondary and defensive line, but overall the defensive side of the ball has not been the issue. The main issue is Patullo’s playcalls, which are eerily similar to Philadelphia villain Brian Johnson‘s calls, something that Eagles fans don’t even want to think about.

If Patullo can figure out how to get the ground game more involved, his job will be safe for the weeks to come. However, if he continues to rely on the passing game and it doesn’t work out, don’t be surprised if Howie Roseman sends him packing.

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